We are excited to say that we saw our first butterfly of the season last Friday! But it took until yesterday to get close enough to get some nice pictures.
Seeing that the butterflies are back inspired us to go searching for caterpillars and eggs. We found some young pipe vines, but we haven’t found eggs yet.
We did manage to find some munched leaves, but still neither caterpillars or eggs. Curious! Where are they!?!
Summer is dwindling and fall is rapidly approaching here at the river. Migratory birds are arriving and leaving, the light is changing, and the activity feels different. We are in the water less often, and on land more. We found a toad who was getting ready to hibernate, and helped it find another home, away from where children dig in the sand. The Sandhill Cranes, a species of migratory bird that always marks the changing of the seasons, are frequently seen flying over. Some trees are starting to lose their leaves, and as I am writing this, a salmon is fighting its way up the rapids to find the spawning ground where it was born. I think the things that excite me most about fall at the river are the animals that follow the salmon, such as bald eagles and sea lions. What is your favorite part of fall?
Did you see yesterday’s post about our campfires at River Days? I hope you did. I really liked that picture. It was one answer to the questions we so often get “What do you do in the Winter? What do you do if it rains?” This video is another answer to those questions. This was filmed on the last two Wednesdays at River Days.
There is a certain quality of child (and many children who come to River Days regularly for a few seasons become this kind of child) who seeks true adventure. Not the virtual kind on a screen, but a true test of personal capacity, of gauging one’s mettle. Nature is the perfect playground for this kind of excitement, and weather just adds a dimension that makes the whole thing that much more awesome.
They were extremely grateful to come back to a fire!
We are frequently asked what the kids do at the river on rainy days. There are many things they enjoy, but a nice warm campfire is one of the coziest! It provides a wonderful place to eat lunch, tell stories, roast marshmallows, and have fun!
Starting a fire without matches is also an important survival skill to have if one spends time in the wilderness. Learning how to start, build, and maintain a fire is really easy when you get to practice in real life!
River Days ~ Earth Ways 